Writing this senior reflection is something I dreaded doing, not because I hate the idea of writing it, but because I hate the idea of being done with The Current and even Watkins Mill.

Most seniors, if you ask them right now how they feel about being done with school, would say that they are thrilled, but I feel like there’s a mix of emotions being done with high school. Yes, I am happy to be done with learning and especially with IB, but there’s something sad about not seeing your friends or teachers every day anymore. 

Watkins Mill is a place I consider home and have considered home since my older sister came here when I was seven years old. I have been a Wolverine for so long, and that is coming to an end, and from here on out, I will be a Seahawk at St Mary’s College of Maryland. It doesn’t have the same feeling as being a Wolverine does, but all good things come to an end. Or perhaps people just say that so they aren’t sad about everything. 

Freshman and sophomore years weren’t typical for us, as we know, and I don’t feel like talking about how being stuck at home with virtual learning was my life for half of my high school experience. I don’t feel like boring anyone talking about Covid, sleeping through my classes, and being stuck at home, barely seeing any of my friends. 

However, my Freshman year did lead to me being pressured by Mrs. Confino after being in her English class to join the newspaper the following year, and to be honest, I hated writing at the time (I also still kind of hate writing to this day but not as much as I did then). Being a part of The Current has always been and will always be the best part of high school for me. 

Junior year was memorable and probably the hardest year for me trying to balance class work and sports for school and outside of school and more. The endless hours of doing school work after school, after practice, and even after games when it would be late at night, then going to school was an endless, overwhelming cycle. But there were good moments to those bad moments. 

This year did not at all go how I expected, I went into this year thinking I was going to have some fun before the work got thrown at us, but reality hit. We were already having to work on college applications and being asked all these questions about our futures in the first week, then being reminded that we had all these exams this year was stressful. It all happened so quickly. It flew by so fast. One second it’s your last first day; next is your very last senior night as a ‘Rine, and then you’re picking up your cap and gown. Every single memory this year was definitely a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.

As I finish my last article for the Current, I want to thank Mrs. Confino, who will forever have a place in my heart.

Thank you for pressuring me into your journalism class because if I hadn’t, not only would I not have had the opportunity to write for the Current and spend time with my amazing friends, but I wouldn’t have been able to say that I got to have Mrs. Confino as a fantastic teacher, sponsor, and friend (you know especially with her being a famous author or whatever). You have always been there for me when I had good days and especially when I had my worst days. I would come into her class crying because of school work, teachers, or friends, and she would always be ready to find them for me and kill them. Her class was my safe space, which meant that I would often cry in there—and I mean a lot. Her classroom was such a safe space that this year, I wrote on the chalkboard, “Days without Emily crying in here” because I would cry so much (I don’t know how many days I ended with, maybe 64 days). Thank you, Mrs. Confino, for never giving up on me and being by my side when I needed someone. 

Thank you to all my teachers for everything you have done to help and guide me to where I am today. Thank you to my friends for making these four years amazing and always ensuring I was smiling or laughing. I walked into high school not knowing and not ready for change, but as I finished school in these last couple of weeks.

And as I finally finish writing this reflection, I am so glad to be where I am now and where I will be going. I have learned many valuable lessons from my peers and teachers that have helped shape me to be the person I am today. As this part of my life comes to an end, I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for me, I am ready to enjoy every single part of it, and I can’t wait to continue to grow.